The Last Spencer
by jedlee07
Summary: Upon hearing the news, he thought he was the last Spencer. He was told differently.
1. Chapter 1

Henry Spencer was in the middle of cooking dinner when the doorbell rang. He called out for the visitor to wait a minute while he pulled the pan off the flame and turned the burner off. Wiping his hands on the dish towel that was hanging over his shoulder, he opened the door. The towel dropped from his hands when he saw one of his son's friends standing on his doorstep. Henry had seen Buzz McNabb a number of times, but he had never seen him like this.

The officer's face was solemn and his eyes were red and wet. His shoulders were slumped and he looked like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. Henry's voice was hesitant when he spoke.

"Officer McNabb, can I help you?" The man's chin quivered slightly but he took a deep breath, straightened his back and did his best to regain his composure.

"Mr. Spencer, I'm sorry to have to tell you this. Chief Vick would be here, but she's with Detective O'Hara right now…Sir, there's been an accident. Shawn, he- the case, he- sir, Shawn was killed today, saving a toddler's life. He- I'm very sorry sir. The Chief will be by to talk to you soon."

Henry stood as still as a statue. No, not Shawn. Not his son. Shawn would never- he was too good. He always managed to get through everything alive. But then again, he always managed to get into those situations in the first place. And too many of them had been close calls. Now, finally, his luck had run out.

"H- How?" Buzz looked up again.

"What?" Henry cleared his throat, his voice shaky.

"How did he- how did it happen?" He put his hand on the door frame, afraid he would fall without help.

"He was working on a case- a young boy wandered into the middle of the road while no one was looking. A car came speeding around the corner- Shawn ran to the boy, throwing him out of the way. The car hit Shawn…he died instantly. The suspect was driving the car…we got him." Both were silent for a moment.

"I want to see him." McNabb shook his head.

"Chief Vick expressly ordered you can't. It's not- It's not something anyone should have to look at, sir. There isn't much…you're forbidden from the morgue. I'm sorry, sir." Anger filled Henry. He wanted to see his son. But before he yelled at Buzz he realized the only person he should confront was Chief Vick. He had to see his son's body. The anger drained from his body, and Henry shook his head. He was too numb. Shawn couldn't be dead. Not his son.

McNabb began to walk away, his composure crumbling again. Henry called out.

"McNabb." The officer turned back. "How's Juliet?" Buzz swallowed.

"Gus, Detective Lassiter and Chief Vick are with her right now." Henry nodded and watched McNabb leave before he shut the door.

He fell heavily onto the couch, dinner now forgotten. His son was dead. The child he'd raised and trained and counseled. Dead. Gone. Forever. Never going to come back through that door asking for help on a case. Henry put his head in his hands.

"Oh, Shawn." And with that, the tough-as-nails retired detective began to cry, mourning for his son.

Henry wiped his eyes and picked up his keys. There was somewhere he had to be now. The drive that normally took fifteen minutes took nine. When he opened the door, he found Gus, Lassiter and Vick sitting in the living room. Juliet was sitting on the couch next to Gus and was holding onto him as if her life depended on it. Tissues were scattered all around her and Gus' shirt was clenched in her fist.

One stern look from the man got the others to their feet and heading out the door. The three sent looks of pity and sorrow his way, but he made them redirect their eyes to the woman curled in a ball on the couch. Once they had left Henry moved over to Juliet and wrapped his arms around her. She began crying again and held tightly to him as he rocked her back and forth.

"I-It's n-not f-fai-fair. H-enry, why d-did he h-h-have to d-die?" Henry shook his head.

"I don't know, honey. I don't know. And you're right. It's not fair." He rocked her until she fell asleep and then laid her down on the couch. As he was pulling a blanket over her, she looked up at him.

"What am I going to do?" Henry shook his head and put his hand on her cheek.

"We'll get through this together. We'll help each other. That's all we can do." She closed her eyes again and Henry settled himself in an armchair. His last thought was that of all the times for Shawn's luck to run out, it wasn't just his father and friends he left behind.

This time, he left behind his wife.


	2. Chapter 2

Juliet was still asleep when Henry woke up. He took an afghan from the couch and covered her with it. He wanted to move her to the bed but wasn't sure if his knees or back could handle it; he didn't want to risk waking her up anyway. He was heading towards the kitchen to get something to drink when there was a knock at the door. Opening it up, he found the Chief standing before him.

"Karen." He leaned against the door, his body language telling her she better be there for a good reason.

"Henry. Can I come in?" Her posture clearly showed that she wasn't intimidated.

"So long as you're quiet; Juliet's still asleep in the living room." He moved aside to let the woman in. They went to the kitchen and Henry poured them both a glass of water and started some coffee.

"What brings you back here Karen?" Henry's voice sent the message loud and clear: that she'd better get straight to the point.

"I wanted to tell you what happened. We already told Juliet, but I know you want to know." She took a deep breath and studied her water glass as Henry poured two mugs of coffee. She normally took one cream and one sugar in hers, but today she drank it black. Her voice was slow and her words carefully chosen when she spoke.

"Carlton, Shawn and I were at a mechanic shop talking to the owner. Shawn suspected he was guilty but he wanted to talk to him again. We were leaving the shop and were about to get to the car. Carlton and Shawn were arguing about evidence and gut feelings and visions and whatever else they argue about, when Shawn suddenly got quiet. Someone's two-year-old was in the middle of the road and a car was speeding towards him.

"Shawn, he-he just ran into the road and scooped up the kid in his arms. The driver's brakes were squealing but he was still moving too fast. Shawn turned his back to the car to protect the boy; they were both thrown. The kid's fine, just a little shaken. But Shawn-"she cut off and stared at the coffee in her cup. Both were silent for a long time. Finally, Henry cleared his throat.

"How- what was the COD?" Karen winced slightly as Henry's inner cop came out, but knew it was the easiest way for him to cope.

"Henry, it was really bad." She really didn't want to tell him. He looked up at her with a murderous look in his eye.

"I want to see him." She shook her head.

"No, Henry. I'm sorry. It's not anything anyone should see. And that's my final decision." He looked ready to kill her with his bare hands, and she was sure he could do it too; but Henry could tell she would not back down. He couldn't see his son's body.

"Then tell me every detail of how my son died. Tell me, Karen!" His voice was much louder and she glanced towards the living room, reminding him of his own warning. His eyes darted to the doorway for a second before he closed them and rubbed his hands wearily over his face. Karen bit her lip as she considered telling him. She finally gave in.

"Punctured lungs, brain trauma and internal bleeding." Henry's eyes closed again. She chose not to go into further detail when she saw his shoulders sag. He looked older than she'd ever seen him. "I'm sorry Henry. There was nothing anyone could have done. He died in minutes." Henry's head was resting on his arms on the countertop. His voice was muffled.

"Did he say anything?" She shook her head even though he couldn't see it, and her voice was soft.

"He said, 'sorry Jules'." Henry sighed and sat up.

"That kid. All his life, immature, irresponsible, a womanizer- then he meets Juliet." He looked over toward the doorway again with a soft look in his eyes. "When he met her, I could tell it was different. Shawn seemed different; he even _looked_ different. I was sure he was playing some colossal joke when he told me he was proposing. When he actually said 'I do'," Henry sighed. "They've been married fourteen months now, and I'm still not sure this isn't some dream, that I'm not going to wake up and be ticked off by some more of Shawn's childish antics." He looked out the window. "He really loves her." He shook his head. "_Loved_, her."

Karen stared at her coffee cup once more before she stood. "I should go. There's some paperwork to fill out, and-"her voice trailed off. "I'm sorry, Henry." Henry waited for the _click_ of the closing door before he got down from the kitchen stool. He leaned against the island counter and slid down to the floor. For a while he simply sat there, staring at nothing, his mind slipping between emptiness and too many thoughts. Finally his tormented brain stopped on one thought, and it screamed at him, torturing him over and over again.

"_SHAWN IS DEAD. YOUR SON IS DEAD. HE'S DEAD."_ Henry broke down and cried.


	3. Chapter 3

Juliet's mind woke up before her body did. She lay where she was on the couch for a while as her mind raced through the events of the past day and she felt suffocated when she remembered what happened. Shawn was dead, and she was a widow. No, this wasn't supposed to happen. He was always so good at getting out of trouble, good at catching the bad guy and keeping his smooth demeanor through it all. He wasn't supposed to die. Especially not now.

Her heart seized but she refused to let any more tears fall. Her head ached from all the crying she'd done before she fell asleep and she just wanted some coffee so she could talk to Henry and try to sort some more of this out.

Her movements were slow and deliberate as she finally opened her eyes and sat up. She felt the chill of the apartment long before her bare feet touched the hardwood floor, and she wrapped the afghan around her shoulders. _Henry must have put it there,_ she realized. _Speaking of Henry, where is he?_ She stood up and looked around, wondering if he had gone home. But then she saw his keys on the table by the door, and as she rounded the corner found him in the kitchen.

He was standing at the stove, making eggs, bacon and toast. She glanced at him as she grabbed a mug and poured herself some coffee. His face was drained and his eyes were red. She knew he'd been crying, but understanding his need to appear strong and immoveable, she said nothing about it. When he placed the two plates on the counter, she stifled a gasp at what she saw. Henry Spencer looked as if he'd aged twenty years in the past few hours. She sipped her coffee to keep her lip from trembling.

They sat in silence, eating their breakfast and drinking their coffee. Juliet finished before Henry and put her dishes in the sink. He heard the shower start a few minutes later and he set about washing the dishes. He was glancing through the paper when he heard the water shut off. He turned the page and realized why picking up the morning edition wasn't a good idea today. His insides clenched as he saw a large picture of his son under the bold words:

**SBPD PSYCHIC CONSULTANT KILLED YESTERDAY**

He quickly slapped the front pages over the article and threw the paper across the room. His head dropped heavily into his hands and his breathing deepened as he tried to regain control. He would not cry again. He'd let himself have that one luxury while Juliet was asleep, but he wasn't going to let her see him cry again. He knew she'd seen the evidences of his emotions when she woke up, but she had wisely said nothing. She was a smart girl; he'd always given Shawn credit for that.

The woman he was thinking about walked into the living room then. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants that were obviously Shawn's- they were rolled up several times around her waist and ankles. Her battered grey SBPD t-shirt was wet from her hair. She walked over to the easy chair across from the couch he was sitting on and climbed into it. The suede piece of furniture seemed to swallow her, and Henry wondered if he'd ever seen any sight so heartbreaking.

Both of them still had no idea of what to say. What could anyone say that wouldn't sound clichéd or make the problem worse? They'd both had the horrible duty of telling families that their loved ones were dead, and even though they knew how utterly terrible the phrases were they still uttered them. "I'm sorry for your loss, he was a good man, he'll be sorely missed, I'm terribly sorry." As police officers it seemed a part of their duty to say those stupid sentences. But here, as a grieving father and wife sat looking around the room, at each other, anywhere and everywhere, they knew those words would not be uttered by either of them. Nothing would make them feel any better, so why try.

After what felt like an eternity, Juliet spoke up. She didn't want to have to say this, and she knew Henry didn't want to hear it, but she felt it might as well be addressed now rather than be put off for later.

"When are we going to plan the funeral?" Try as she might, she couldn't help the hitch in her voice on that final word.

Henry looked down at the floor and sighed. "Whenever you're ready, Juliet. I'll do whatever you want me to do, but we'll do it whenever you're ready." Silence regained its hold on the room before Henry dethroned it again.

"Karen offered full police honors. Said Shawn was unofficially an honorary member of the force. I'm not so sure he'd like that though. Never wanted to join, no matter how much I wanted him to."

Juliet nodded. "It just needs to be simple. He wasn't quite simple and sure didn't make anything easy or "no fuss", but it's all I can handle right now."

"I'll talk to Karen about the- about the burial. And I'll get in touch with the other people. You don't need to worry about this at all, honey."

They sat for a while in more silence. Juliet thought about the fact that at least silence between she and her father-in-law wasn't awkward, even after an uncomfortable event such as this.

"I never, I never thought, in all my wildest dreams, that I'd be the last Spencer. Even though we only had Shawn, I always expected- I never thought he'd leave me alone. I never thought I'd be the last Spencer." Juliet closed her eyes for a moment, and got out of her chair. She walked into the bedroom and came back with a small, flat box. She ignored her former seat and sat next to Henry.

She pulled a picture out of the box, but hid its face from him. "I told Shawn, yesterday, before he left." She handed the picture to him.

He looked down. He held a black and white picture, one that made his heart swell and shattered it at the same time.

"You're not the last Spencer, Henry."

* * *

**Ah, so here you go! This last part was my favorite. It was the whole brain behind the story. Don't worry, there's still more to come though! Happy Sunday and God Bless! Jed  
**


	4. Chapter 4

The day of the funeral arrived in a warm burst of spring air. The sun poured its light on Santa Barbara, brightening the area with its golden rays. Most people went to the parks or beaches. One group of people however, slowly made their way to the cemetery. Henry was surprised at the size of the crowd that assembled to say goodbye to his son. He'd expected maybe twenty or thirty to show up. He was unprepared for the sight that greeted him when close to two hundred people filed into the church they were using for the service.

Much of the Santa Barbara Police Department was in attendance as the group circled around the plot of ground Shawn would be buried in. There were so many faces Henry had never seen before, and all seemed to have cared a good deal for Shawn, in one sense or another. One after another, they came up to Henry and gave their condolences. He had never known the positive impact his son had left with people.

Soon everyone had left but those closest to Shawn. Henry reminded Vick, Lassiter, Gus and McNabb that they'd be having a cookout at his house later that night. Once they left, he turned to Juliet. She looked on in silence as the coffin was lowered into the ground and buried. Those doing the solemn deed gave the duo a sympathetic look as they walked off.

"He always had to have things the wrong way. Everything was upside down with him. Even the day we bury him." She looked up at the sky. "It should be raining right now. It should be dark and dreary, cloudy and wet, gray and bleak. But no; on the day we bury Shawn it has to be sunny and beautiful. It should be a crime for it to be so nice outside today."

Henry put his arm around Juliet's shoulders. "Come on, honey. Let's go home." She nodded and pulled something from her purse. She stepped up to the granite marker at the head of the new pile of dirt. She knelt down and placed something at its base; she ran her fingers across his name and wiped a tear from her eye. Henry watched as she got up and walked toward his truck with deliberate steps. He looked at the place where she'd knelt and saw a single rose attached to the sonogram she'd handed him two days earlier.

"Well Shawn, at least you had the chance to know you were going to become a father." He turned and followed his daughter-in-law to the car.

"So then, we hear someone coming. We press ourselves up against the wall as this old guy rides by in his motorized wheelchair at like, a foot a second." The group burst out laughing as Gus painted them a picture of his adventures with Shawn. Henry was glad that the gathering wasn't completely somber as laughter was sprinkled throughout the night. He even caught Juliet smiling a few times.

As McNabb started recalling another humorous moment with Shawn, Henry excused himself and made his way in to the kitchen and pulled a beer out of the fridge. A minute later Karen joined him and he took out another beer. They drank in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say.

"What's next, Henry? What's next for you?"

Henry set his beer down on the counter with a sigh. "I'm not sure, Karen. Go on as before, I guess. I'll do what I can to help Juliet, especially now-"he stopped speaking as he realized he was the only one that knew her secret.

"Now what? What aren't you telling me Henry?"

He rubbed his hand over his head and sighed again. He was about to speak when they heard another voice. "Now that I'm pregnant."

Karen and Henry's heads snapped toward the door, where Juliet stood. The weariness she felt was evident not only on her face, but in her whole stature as well. Karen's jaw dropped slightly and her eyes widened. "What?"

"I'm pregnant. I was going to tell you soon. I only found out the day before Shawn-"her voice broke as she spoke her husband's name. She looked as if she would try to finish the sentence, but as her lip quivered she took in a shaky breath and wiped her eyes.

"I told myself I wasn't going to cry anymore. I've done enough of that this week." She saw both Henry and Karen open their mouths. "Don't bother telling me it's normal or expected. I know it is, but I just don't want to cry anymore!"

The other two gave the woman a moment to compose herself before Karen spoke up. "What are your plans for this, O'Hara?"

Juliet sighed and sat down. "I was planning on doing light cases for a while, then desk work and finally maternity leave. Now, I just don't know. I don't think I want to do this anymore."

The others sat up straighter. "Do what?" Karen asked.

"I don't know if I want to be a detective anymore. Shawn's not here and I'm having a baby. I'm not about to leave my child with a babysitter so I can go out and possibly die, leaving an orphan behind. There are other, safer jobs I can do that will provide for us and still allow me to spend time with my child."

Everyone sat in silence as her news set in. They knew it was the best plan of action, but they still couldn't picture her doing anything other than police work. Henry put his hand on her shoulder. "Whatever you want, honey; whatever you think is best. We'll support you."

Karen put her hand on Juliet's other shoulder. "That's right. I know that, if I were in your place, even though I'm not on the streets as much as you are, I'd do the same thing. When you're ready, come talk to me and I'll get everything straightened out for you."

Juliet nodded and turned to walk back into the living room.

"Juliet." She turned at the Chief's call.

"Congratulations. I'm sorry things happened this way, but congratulations. If you have any questions, you can come to me." Juliet gave her boss a tight smile before going back to rest of the group.

Karen put her elbows on the counter and rested her head in her hands. "Oh, Henry. Why is this happening? Why?"

"I don't know Karen. I can't help but chalk it up to another one of Shawn's inconveniences. He was always doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. Why should he change any in death?"

* * *

**So, I'm going to try to get as much of this up (or at least done) as soon as I can. I'm going to be camp counseling on an island all summer and I only get one day off. That means any relaxing/email checking must be done when I get to the mainland. I'll try to put some stuff up, but I won't be able to really put stuff up until after graduation on August 17. This is my warning to y'all, so don't get too upset when you don't get too many updates this summer. Sorry! Hope you enjoyed!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Victor forced his fist through some of the plaster that formed his living room wall. He was pretty sure he heard some bones cracking among the sound of the crumbling drywall but he didn't care. It had gone all wrong. His plan was ruined now and he hadn't gotten to do anything but threaten the guy. Stupid idiot. He smacked his hand against the wall a few more times, the adrenaline pumping through his veins still masking the pain he knew was to come.

His brother walked in then and saw the damage. "What on earth did you do that for? That was a perfectly good wall- you're going to be the one to fix it." He flopped down into a chair and turned on the television.

"What's bothering you anyway?" Anger still pumped through Victor's body with every heartbeat and he turned to his brother, fighting the very strong urge to take his anger out on him.

"What's bothering me, Andrew? What's _bothering _me? What else could be bothering me? Shawn Spencer is dead!"

Andrew looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "So…isn't that a _good_ thing? Isn't that what you wanted all along?" His big brother clenched his jaw and began to pace back and forth across the very small living room.

"Not yet! I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to go through hell- just like the hell he put me through. I wanted to make him wish he'd never agreed to testify against me. Then- and only then- did I want him dead. But no! He went and got himself killed before I could do anything to him! Stupid, stupid idiot!" He was at that point where you're so angry that you can't even swear properly.

Andrew turned his focus back to the TV. "You sent him those letters, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but what good did they do? He's dead! There's no way I can get back at him now."

His brother suddenly leaned forward, staring at the screen in front of him. "Maybe there is a way. Check it out." He pointed at the television. The local news station was covering Spencer's funeral. The camera centered on a petite woman, her eyes red and puffy. Blonde hair flowed loosely down her back. The info box at the bottom of the screen read, "Juliet O'Hara, Victim's Wife."

Victor sat on the arm of Andrew's chair, suddenly a bit happier. A smile twisted his face. "Yes, little bro. This just might work."

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Juliet picked up the last picture frame from her desk and ran a finger over the glass. Shawn had his arm around her, a big smile on both of their faces. He was laughing at something. She recalled that Gus had snapped the picture when they were at a picnic one night the summer before. A tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away, putting the frame into the box with the rest of her stuff. She heard someone behind her and found McNabb standing there.

"We're going to miss you, Detective. It won't be the same without you here."

Juliet smiled. "Thanks, McNabb. I'll miss it, but it's for the best. Don't become a stranger, okay?" The man nodded and gave her a hug before leaving. Lassiter and the Chief walked up to her.

"Well, O'Hara, here we are. Do you have everything?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Chief, for everything." She looked at Lassiter and wondered what to say.

"Here, O'Hara. Let me take that for you." He stepped forward and picked up the box sitting on her barren desk.

"Thank you Carlton." Not knowing what else to say, she smiled at the Chief and led the way out of the precinct. Lassiter placed the box in Juliet's car and shut the door. He climbed back up the steps but stood a few feet away from his boss and par- _former_ partner.

"I'm sorry to see you go, O'Hara, but I understand. You'll be greatly missed around here."

"Thank you, Chief. And please, call me Juliet."

"I'll try to remember. And _Karen_'s fine, now." The younger woman nodded and her former boss held out her hand.

"Take care, Juliet. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call." The Chief gave one last small smile and made her way back to her office. She needed to find a new junior detective.

Outside, Lassiter stood looking at the ground, his hands in his pockets. He didn't know what to say in normal situations, and this really wasn't one of those. Finally he looked up and stuck his hand out.

"It's been an honor, O'Hara."

She took his hand and shook it. "Same here, Carlton." Her lips pressed together and before he knew it she'd thrown her arms around him. It was over before he could recover. "Thank you." She descended the rest of the steps and crossed the parking lot to where her car was. The door was unlocked but she fumbled with the keys a bit, not fully ready to end this moment.

The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. She had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her, but when she looked around there was no one there. She shook it off, climbed in the car and started the engine. Tonight the paperwork would be finished and she'd be a civilian again. With a large sigh, she backed out of the parking space and left the station for the last time as a detective.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it's been so long. Life is busy, you know? School, mostly. I know that's no excuse, for this delay was inexcusable. But I've become infected once more by the writing bug and I'm determined to finish this story very soon, hopefully before New Year's. I've got two more completed chapters and I'm halfway through a third. I'll put the others up in a few days, probably. Got to pace myself, you know. Don't want y'all to gorge yourselves after such a long fast from this story... **

**I made this chapter extra long just as a treat for you. There's a slight spoiler for the fall season finale, but not much at all. Enjoy!**

**~Jed  
**_

* * *

Three months later…_

Henry placed the paint roller down in the plastic tub and stepped back to admire his handiwork. All four walls now sported an even coat of light orange paint. The color wasn't quite one he would have picked out for a baby's nursery, but whatever Juliet wanted is what she got. Last month she had wanted light blue and the month before that green…Henry sincerely hoped her hormones were satisfied with this color. He heard the door open and close as he poured the excess paint back into the can. Juliet came around the corner and leaned against the doorframe.

"It looks really good Henry. I think I'll keep it this time." She raised her hand as he stifled a remark. "I know I said that the last two times, but I'm pretty sure I mean it now. Look what I found." She reached into the bag she held, the plastic sack sporting the logo of one of the local home improvement stores. Henry recognized the object she removed as a roll of wallpaper border and he couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face when she unrolled it slightly.

The border had a lime green background, but most of the space displayed a diverse gathering of…pineapples, of course. _Is anything else acceptable in the nursery for Shawn's son?_ Henry rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand and chuckled.

"I can come over and put it up on Saturday." He began to gather up the cloths covering the carpet.

"Great. I also have some stickers to go on the wall; more pineapples, of course."

"This kid's first solid food is going to be pineapple, isn't it?"

Juliet smiled. "You never know. It's one of the things that Shawn loved so much; how could I not incorporate it into every possible aspect of his son's life?" She took a sip of what Henry suspected was a pineapple smoothie.

"Promise me you won't take it too far; anything involving clothing and lotions would qualify."

"I use pineapple hand soap and lip gloss all the time."

Henry shook his head. "My grandson is doomed."

Juliet grinned again. "You can take him fishing whenever you wish." Her father-in-law raised his hands and looked up at the ceiling in a "_praise-the-Lord" _fashion. She looked down at her cup as she swirled the contents. "Henry, will you teach Teddy to be observant, like you taught Shawn?" She glanced up at him again. "I want him to have that piece of his father. Maybe not the fake psychic detective part, but I want him to notice things about life that no one else notices."

Henry looked down at his hands and scrubbed at the paint drying on them. He taught Shawn all those things mostly because he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, to attend the police academy and become a cop like him, maybe even a detective. Shawn never wanted to do any of that, and more often than not those skills got him into trouble. Yet Juliet had a point; those skills of observation were such a big part of who Shawn was, no matter how he chose to use them. The ability to notice things and read people could come in handy too; on many occasions those skills had saved his life, or Shawn's. _Except for the last time, when there was nothing those abilities could do, when his son made a choice that any person would have, to give his life for a child._ He internally shook his thoughts back into order and looked in his daughter-in-law's hopeful eyes.

"Of course, Juliet; I'll teach him."

She sniffed and blinked back tears. "Thank you, Henry. It would mean so much to me."

_How could he refuse?_

The paint supplies cleaned up and put away, the two Spencers sat at the counter eating dinner. The television played quietly in the living room and the conversation was minimal; silence was comfortable between these two wounded souls. A loud noise caused them both to jump slightly and it took a moment for Juliet to realize the noise was her cell phone's ringtone.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" Henry watched her face twist into a frown.

"Hello?" With a sigh she pulled the phone away from her ear and pressed END. "Huh."

"Wrong number?"

"I guess so." She hadn't moved yet and was still staring at her phone. Henry could feel something in the air change.

"What's wrong?"

She still didn't look up. "I don't know…nothing, I guess. It's just-hmmph." Henry turned fully toward her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He pulled back when she jumped in shock. Now he knew something was definitely wrong.

"Juliet, what is it? What's bothering you?"

"It's noth-"

"Don't tell me it's nothing. Something is obviously bothering you and it has something to do with that phone call you just got. You may not be an active duty detective anymore but your training is still with you and right now it's telling you something is wrong."

She sighed and finally looked up at him. "I keep thinking-feeling, really, that someone is…watching me, or something." Henry sat up, now on edge. "I don't know…it started just after Shawn…I wrote it off as missing Shawn, you know, thinking he would walk into the room any moment, etcetera, etcetera… but I feel it every now and then, and I felt it again today, when I was at the store. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I walked into the store and again when I left."

"You need to tell Vick."

"Henry, it's probably just a coincidence. It's really nothing…"

"Stop telling me it's nothing! You feel like you're being watched and then you get a silent phone call. It may be a coincidence, but what if it's not? You're a cop, Juliet! You know how these things work. If this was anyone else, if it was one of your friends, what would you tell them?"

She sighed. "Go to the police. I guess…I'll call her in the morning."

Henry was already on his feet, dialing the phone. "Forget that; we're calling her now." He held the phone to his ear and waited a moment. "Karen, we might have a situation…"

Juliet groaned and carried their plates to the sink. The baby started moving as she scraped the remnants of their dinner into the garbage; she set the plate on the counter and rested her hand on her swollen belly. Seconds later she felt her son place a swift kick to where her hand lay. She rubbed the spot tenderly and closed her eyes. "We'll be okay, Teddy. We'll be okay."

Henry ended the call and placed the phone back on the base. "Karen's on her way over. You're going to tell her everything and let her decide if it's really nothing."

"Mmmhmm." She turned back to the sink and began to scrub the dishes. Henry placed his hands over hers and removed the sponge and plate.

"Honey, I know you're afraid of appearing weak, like you can't handle things yourself when you feel you should. I'd be feeling the same way. But this isn't just about you; you have your son to think about. If anything happens to you, it happens to him. We've already lost Shawn; we can't lose Teddy. So I need you to sit back and look at this from a detective's point of view. A pregnant, widowed woman feels like someone is watching her and has been doing so since her husband's death."

Juliet closed her eyes and gripped the edge of the sink. After a few moments she finally nodded and wiped at her eyes with the back of her wrist.

"Okay. You're right, though I really don't see what they'll be able to do. There's no evidence to follow- a bunch of creepy feelings and one weird phone call that could have been a legitimate wrong number."

"A good majority of wrong number callers let the person on the other end know they didn't mean to call them. You might be right- it may just be a coincidence; but let Karen decide that. Better safe than sorry and all that crap."

They moved into the living room and put on an old episode of M*A*S*H. Ten minutes later there was a knock at the door and Henry got up to answer it. A few seconds later Juliet was startled to find her old partner turning off the lights and shutting the curtains.

"Wha-Carlton? What are you doing? And what are you doing here?"

He shut off the television and stood in front of her, hands on his hips.

"When were you going to tell me someone was stalking you O'Hara?"

"I'm not even sure someone _is_ stalking me, Carlton!"

"All those years on the force, all those years as my partner and you never stopped to think-"

"Carlton!" Vick's voice carried the sharp sting of authority and her head detective wisely shut his mouth. Henry and Karen finally came into Juliet's view and stood around her.

"Could you all just sit down, please? I don't like having to look up at you." They did so, though Lassiter scowled before resting on the arm of the loveseat across from her.

"Thank you. Now Carlton, why are you here?"

"I called him, O'Hara. I thought he might be useful. I didn't think he would go all crazy like that." She glared at the man and he looked away. Vick looked back at Juliet.

"Now tell us what's been going on."

Juliet sighed and sent a short glare in Henry's direction. "There's really not much to tell. Every now and then I feel like someone's watching me, like the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. But when I turn around there's no one there."

Carlton was now looking at her intensely with an expression she could only describe as _Detective Lassiter_. She was sure if she closed her eyes and re-opened them she'd be in an interrogation room, sitting at the wrong side of the table. "How many times has this happened?"

She shook her head and rubbed at the spot between her eyes. "I don't know…at least three but I don't think any more than six."

"Six times?"

"And don't forget to tell them about the phone call." Henry spoke up from his spot on the kitchen stool.

"Phone call?"

Juliet sighed again, rubbing the same spot on her brow, this time a bit more aggressively. "Right before Henry called the Chief I got a call on my cell phone. There wasn't anyone on the other end and I just thought it was a wrong number, but Henry freaked out."

"I did not freak out."

"We'll have the lab guys look over the phone, see if they can get anything off the number that called you." Vick held her hand out for the device and Juliet gave it over.

"They won't find anything, I'll tell you that. Perp probably used a public pay phone, or a disposable cell phone. We won't get anything off of it." Lassiter was pacing across the living room, lost in his thoughts. Henry frowned at him from across the room.

"I told Henry there was nothing you'd be able to do. There's no evidence to follow."

Karen stood. "That may be true, but the phone call is a progression. My guess is pretty soon he'll progress even further. It'll give us evidence, but it may not be enough to catch him. After that it'll get far too dangerous for my liking." She turned to Juliet. "Keep an eye out; anything happens out of the ordinary, you tell me right away. Don't write anything off and use your instincts- you're one of the finest cops I've ever known and that hasn't diminished any since you left."

Juliet nodded, winced, and muttered something about soccer players as she made her way to the bathroom. Henry stood and opened the door for the cops.

"I'll be staying in the guestroom whether she likes it or not."

"Good. Keep an eye on her. I think she's so concerned about appearing weak that she's making this out to be nothing. Make sure she doesn't ignore it too much."

Lassiter spoke up. "I'll get a couple volunteers and keep a night watch until we find this guy."

"No, you don't need to go that far. We'll be fine without it."

"Now listen here, Spencer- she may not be my partner any more but I still care about her. If anything happens to her…it'd be better if she had some active duty, _armed_ cops keeping watch."

"This is the same argument we had that day Shawn got shot and kidnapped. I am perfectly capable of defending Juliet. I've even got a weapon, licensed and all."

Lassiter took a step forward. "I really don't-"

"Carlton, enough!" The Chief's sharp tone had the detective's mouth closing immediately. "Juliet will be fine with Henry. A stakeout would be a little premature at this point. Call us if anything happens." She grabbed Lassiter's arm and pulled him out the door.

Juliet came back out of the bathroom, wrapping her sweater more tightly around herself. She sat on the couch again and Henry draped a blanket over her.

"Do you want to call Gus?"

Juliet shook her head. "Not tonight. He'll never get any sleep. I'll call him tomorrow." She rested her head on the back of the couch, her eyes closed and her brow creased with stress.

"Why is this happening Henry?"

"I don't know. But we'll stop it. We'll find him. I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

Three weeks went by in relative peace. Three weeks without any phone calls or creepy feelings. Three weeks that had Juliet constantly looking over her shoulder. She berated herself for it; she used to be a cop, after all, and she knew how to take care of herself. But as Henry had said, Teddy was all they had left of Shawn. She had to take care of Teddy. There was nothing else.

Gus had taken the news better than she'd thought he would. He seemed to realize that there was nothing they could do right away except remain cautious. Until some more evidence appeared life had to continue as normal. While he accepted the fact that his best friend's pregnant widow was in danger, he "increased his presence", as Lassiter would say, and spent as much time as possible with Juliet-especially when Henry was unavailable.

Juliet was just beginning to relax as the weather began to calm down. The Santa Barbaran summer had been brutal; temperatures higher than normal, though not record-breaking, had caused more discomfort and unease for the pregnant woman. September was nearing its end and the cooler air helped relieve some of the stress she had been feeling since the mysterious phone call.

The sun was bright and a light breeze was blowing as Juliet and Gus wrapped up lunch at an outside café. Gus delivered the punch line of his anecdote and smiled only because Juliet's laugh was so light and carefree, a sound that none of them had truly heard for a very long time. Unfortunately that good feeling would not last much longer.

As they neared the parking lot the smile disappeared from Juliet's face and Gus could feel the tension take hold of her. He recognized her changed posture as that of the police detective he'd worked with all those times. Looking toward the disturbance, he discovered the cause for her change.

Sitting on the hood of her car was a box, wrapped in white paper and tied with a green ribbon. He moved toward it to pick it up but stopped when her hand latched tightly to his arm, ceasing his movements. Her face was pale and her eyes wide, but her voice remained firm and steady.

"Don't. It could be a bomb." Her cell phone was already in her hand, hitting the speed dial that he knew called Lassiter's phone.

"Carlton, we have a situation. There's a package sitting on the hood of my car. White paper, green ribbon, no writing…I'm at Café Shores with Gus…no, I stopped him from touching it…no! I'm not going back inside…why? Maybe because my feet will hurt more from walking back and forth than they will just standing here…I know, but I doubt he'd shoot me before I opened his present…fine, just get here as soon as you can." She ended the call with a frustrated groan.

"He's coming and he's bringing the bomb squad with him."

Gus willed himself not to shake. "You really think there's a bomb in there?"

"I'd rather take the precautions and have it be completely innocuous than to open it and be dead."

Gus swallowed and nodded. "What was that about getting shot? Should we go inside?"

"Lassiter thinks he may have a sniper trained on us, but I don't think that's the case. If he wanted me dead he's had opportunity before. Besides, like I told him, if he really wants me to see what he left inside this…present, he won't shoot me until _after_ I've opened it. There's no way I'm walking back into the café and back out once he gets here, which will probably be very soon. I'll take my chances."

Sure enough Lassiter's Crown Victoria sped into the parking lot a few minutes later, lights flashing and brakes squealing. The bomb squad's trucks followed shortly afterward. Lassiter and Vick spilled out of his vehicle and stood by Gus and Juliet while the bomb squad examined the box on Juliet's car. She noticed that Carlton periodically swiveled his head slightly, which led her to discover that his holster was unlatched, enabling him to grab his gun quicker should anything happen. Although her annoyance picked up, part of her was touched at his protective stance.

They all watched anxiously as the heavily padded men directed a small robot toward the car, inspecting the package with an x-ray scanner. A pick-up drove quickly into the parking lot and within seconds Henry was at Juliet's side. She looked at him quizzically and he whispered "police scanner". Eventually a man looked up from the screen he held and shook his head at Lassiter. The men on the bomb squad visibly relaxed and began to put away their equipment.

"We're all good," the squad leader told them.

All four released their breaths and Lassiter moved toward the car, pulling on a pair of latex gloves. He tugged at the ribbon and placed it in an evidence bag before doing the same with the paper. His pocketknife cut through the clear packing tape keeping the container closed and slowly opened the folds of the cardboard box. They saw his brow furrow as he pulled out another box, wrapped identically to the first.

The process repeated as he removed the ribbon and paper. This time when he pushed back the flaps they saw his eyes widen and his face become a little paler. Within a moment they all had the same reaction, for when the detective's hands emerged from the box they held a large, ripe pineapple.

Juliet felt her heart clench and Lassiter's eyes snapped to hers. "This is about Shawn." She sucked in a deep breath as his words confirmed her fears. Henry wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she was grateful for it; she wasn't sure if her legs would remain steady enough to keep her upright. The baby sent a quick jab to her ribs and she prayed he didn't keep that up.

Vick turned to face the group as Lassiter rejoined them. "Guster, I need you to go through all of Psych's old case files and create a suspect list."

"You do realize Shawn didn't keep much in the form of files. I kept a few notes on each case for legal reasons and we've got a few newspaper clippings, but there isn't much else."

The chief sighed. "I should've known. Okay, Carlton, help Gus go through the notes. I'll look through the cases we hired him for and see if anything pops up.

Juliet was surprised at the strength in her voice. "Chief, let me help Gus. My guess is that it's somebody from one of their cases. Maybe I'll see something Carlton won't."

Lassiter's stern "Absolutely not!" was almost drowned out by Henry's adamant "No, no way." Both covered over Gus' firm "uh uh."

Juliet kept her eyes on Vick's the whole time, ignoring the men's outbursts. She knew the moment she had won their little stare down.

"Okay." Vick raised her hand as the men beside her began to protest. "I don't see any harm in her looking through some case files. Guster, bring them over to Juliet's apartment."

Lassiter left with Vick to get the package evidence to the lab and Gus left to get the case files. Henry stood a few feet from his daughter-in-law, his arms crossed over his chest and his face openly displaying his displeasure. Juliet's smug feeling didn't evaporate as she looked at him.

"Henry, I know you don't want me doing anything that might put us in danger, but I need to do something. Three weeks I've been waiting for something to happen. Three weeks! Finally we have some potential evidence. Part of me is still a detective, Henry. I can't ignore it."

She looked him steadily in the eye, daring him to deny her the opportunity to do some police work. She knew he didn't like the idea at all but she really didn't care at this point. She was tired, worried and bored and here was something to occupy her time, a task that was once a daily occurrence. Finally Henry rubbed his hand over his head.

"There's no stopping you, I know that. You're too much like Shawn in that regard. But promise me this- the _second_ you think something's not right, you step back and call me or Lassiter. Promise me!"

She nodded. "I promise. Thank you Henry."

He began to lead her to his truck and she hoped he didn't forget to pick up her car later. "Like I said, there's no stopping you. And you might have a point. If this guy's really been watching you like you think he's been, you may have seen his face. Shawn wouldn't have had any photos of his clients, but he had names. We may get somewhere after all."


	8. Chapter 8

**Once again, sorry for the unforgiveably long wait. I just about forgot about this story...I'm not really watching Psych anymore, due to increased school work and work in general (I know, it's so sad...I just don't have the time!) But I haven't published anything on FF in a while, and since I already had this chapter and at least part of the next one done, I decided I should put it up. So here you go. Happy belated Christmas!**

**~Jed  
**

* * *

"No, sir, we haven't found anything yet…We've gone through all the files twice now sir, both department cases and Psych cases…she did not, sir. No names or faces jumped out at her…yes, we've got people going through them again, sir, but I don't think they'll find anything we haven't…I've got almost half of my staff on this case sir, the best and brightest…I'd like to assign more but if I do that I'm afraid there'll be a crime spree in Santa Barbara. We're doing all we can, sir…yes, sir, thank you."

Karen Vick sat heavily in her chair, sighing as she rested her head in her hands. Her moment of relaxation was cut short, however, by a knock on the door. Looking up she spotted Lassiter and beckoned him in.

"Chief, was that the mayor?"

"Yes. He wanted to know what we've found so far on this case. Unfortunately, not much has changed since he called two days ago. Do you have anything for me?"

Lassiter held out a thin folder. "O'Hara narrowed down the suspect list a little more. It's not too much shorter, but she knocked off a few names."

Karen looked over the list and sighed again. It was shorter than yesterday's copy, but not by much. They were still not much closer to finding out who was stalking the former detective.

Six days had passed since Juliet left the café to find a box on her hood. The pineapple inside had told the team that the stalker had something to do with Shawn. Juliet had looked through Psych's old files with Gus while Lassiter and Vick had looked through the files for the cases Shawn and Gus worked for the department. Neither set of files had given any clue as to who it was. The suspect list had been long- _very_ long- and though Juliet was able to cross some names off that list, there were still too many remaining.

"I absolutely hate to say it, but I don't think we're going to find anything until he leaves us more evidence." She could clearly see on her detective's face his distaste for that situation.

"I don't like it either, Carlton, but what else is there? We'll keep looking through files and talking to suspects, but we need him to give us something, or even better, slip up and leave us something substantial. I need you to maintain a cool head and keep your people focused and working hard."

"That won't be a problem. They're working in overdrive as it is. The real concern is keeping O'Hara from working too hard."

"She feels helpless."

"I understand that, but I can't let her get sick or put the baby in harm's way because of this. It's my job to protect her." Years of watching out for his partner could never be erased by her absence on the force.

"Do what you can to make her relax, but keep her involved a little. Now is not the time to push her away."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Spencer were still around. He'd be able to figure out who this guy is in like, five minutes."

"I have a feeling that if he were around we wouldn't be having this problem."

"What can I get for you?" The red-headed waitress gave the customer a sweet smile, one she would have withheld had she known who she was helping.

"I'd like a large pineapple smoothie."

The woman wrote down the order and asked "anything else?"

"No. Just the smoothie."

"That'll be $5.36."

He handed over the money and waited while she threw the ingredients in the blender and ran the noisy appliance. She poured the finished product into a large paper cup and snapped a lid on.

"Here you go. Straws are right there on the counter." She frowned when he reached for the cup. "Why are you wearing latex gloves?"

The customer gave a shy smile. "To be honest, I'm afraid of germs. Money, especially. I never handle it without them."

Her face relaxed a little though it was clear she was still confused. "Okay. Well, have a nice day."

Ten minutes later the man pulled in front of a white house. He quickly went up the walk and paused at the porch. Setting the smoothie cup on the wooden platform, he pulled a blank business card with a string out of his pocket. Tying the card around the straw he made sure the single word was scrawled on the paper. He took one final look at the cup and went back to his truck.

_Enjoy._

_

* * *

_

Juliet made her way up Henry's walk, slower than normal due to the extra weight she carried around her middle. Her feet and back were killing her and she couldn't wait to sit in the comfy easy chair Henry had in front of his television. She got to the porch and stopped in her tracks.

"HENRY!"

Her shout had her father-in-law storming out the front door seconds later.

"What? What is it?"

The expression on her pale face scared him, but not as much as the object at his feet. He didn't have to smell or taste the drink to know it was a pineapple smoothie. The word on the tag said it all. Juliet was on the phone, talking to the Chief.

"I've been here all day and that wasn't there when I got the paper this morning. He was here and I never heard him."

"They're on their way."

"He was _here_, right on my front porch and I was inside and never heard him!"

"Henry, this guy is sneaky, and he's good. It doesn't surprise me that you never heard him. Look how long it took me to realize someone was watching me."

"They're not going to find anything on this cup, are they?"

"I doubt it, but we can canvass the smoothie shops around here and maybe we'll get something. We might finally have a lead, Henry."


End file.
